The Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) has established community groups in the Timehri, Yarrowkabra and Kuru Kuru, communities along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, this is part of efforts to establish partnerships at the grassroots level to prevent child abuse and promote child well-being.
Director of the CPA, Ann Greene, pointed out that the agency is working in several communities, but the groups are being piloted in the three aforementioned areas before moving on to other communities, the release stated.
It is necessary for the CPA to work with community groups across Guyana to reduce the risk factors for abuse and to increase the protective factors, the CPA Director explained.
The release quoted her as highlighting that risk factors, “are the things that will create vulnerability for children. A single parent home is a risk factor because money and time is always in short supply in a single parent home, especially since the parent has to go out and work and then return to look after the children.”
Other risk factors include parents with mental health issues, substance abuse, poverty, early teenage parenthood and domestic violence, the release said.
Meanwhile, according to the release, the protective factors will help to eradicate the risk factors. Greene pointed out that the protective affordable high quality day care centres, training programmes and rehabilitation for parents, teen empowerment programmes and mental health services will come out from the community support networks.
“That is why we introduced the community watch groups because that is a community support network that will aid in addressing child abuse, the release quoted her as saying.
The agency is also collaborating with the Ministry of Public Health, Faith Based organisations and Early Childhood Development Centres to assist families especially those with mental health issues.
